Horley CC firsts slip up - but seconds and thirds win
Horley CC’s 1st XI slipped from top spot to fifth in Surrey Championship Division Four East due to a three-wicket loss to Reigate Priory 2nd XI, but Horley’s 2nd and 3rd XIs both won their league games on Saturday.
Despite the defeat, the 1st XI remain firmly in the hunt for promotion as only 14 points separate the top five in the division.
On a cloudy day at Horley Row, where the sun only put in an appearance late on in the game, Horley had a sub optimal start when Guy Derham was out for 4 in the third over, lobbing the ball up to midwicket where it was caught by Tendekai Mataranyika off the bowling of Toby Briggs (2-28).
CP Singh joined Ben Remfry and after bedding in for a few overs, Remfry set about the visiting attack with two fours in the seventh over and a magnificent six in the eighth. However, in the 14th over Remfry departed for 37, skying the ball to David Gent at gully off Briggs.
Singh had a luck escape when a dolly catch was dropped, but his luck departed when he skied one and was caught and bowled by Tom Massey (2-27) in the 20th over with the score on 83-3.
Ben Davies came to the crease and departed first ball caught by the keeper Rory Houghton and Luke Smith soon followed, bowled by a turning ball from Mataranyika (4-40) and suddenly it was 88-5.
Jon Barnett and Regan Derham advanced the score to 120 before Barnett was lbw to Mataranyika for 5 and when captain Derham fell for 25, bowled by Mataranyika, Horley were in trouble at 140-7.
The 150 came up in the 33rd over and Will Taylor and Matt Gainsford advanced the score to 161 before the former was bowled by Fin Willsher (2-10). The last ball of the 39th over saw Adam Stephenson succumb to Mataranyika and Gainsford’s punchy and top-scoring innings of 38 concluded when he was caught and bowled by Willsher with the score on 175.
It was questionable whether such a score could be defended when the Reigate openers had added 50 in the first ten overs but Seth McDowell (21) was bowled by Davies and things looked brighter when he also bowled Advaith Bali (21) in the 11th.
In the 17th over Davies (3-34) took his third wicket when Massey was caught behind by Regan Derham. Reigate advanced to 121-3 but in the 32nd over Sam Bell (24) was brilliantly run out by Barnett.
Rory Houghton was one short of his 50 when he gave a catch to the slips off Barnett and Taylor made no mistake, with the score on 141-5.
Gent was next to go, bowled by Taylor, and in the next over Willsher was caught and bowled by Barnett for a duck.
There was now slight hope of victory, but it was not to be as Reigate added the necessary runs without further loss, finishing on 179-7 after 41.5 overs.
Next Saturday, Horley 1sts travel to Purley, who are second in the table.
Horley 2nd XI leapfrogged Merstham 2nd XI to move up to fourth in Surrey Championship Division Eight East, thanks to a 25-run win in a low-scoring match at Quality Street.
Merstham put Horley in and the visitors found batting conditions very tough and were bowled out for 125 in 37.1 overs.
Henrick Cook fell in the third over without scoring then Toby Davie and Dean Martin took the total to 29 before three wickets in four overs gave Merstham the upper hand. Davie made 15 and Martin and Ben Stewart both went in single figures and Horley were 36-4.
Richard Waddington and Tom Jowett saw their team to the half century before Jowett was caught for 8 off Antoni de Vincenzo (2-21 from eight overs).
Waddington and Aidan Spalding put together a crucial partnership of 38 in 14 overs, with Spalding in particular frustrating the Merstham bowlers with his dogged defence.
Waddington finally fell for 29, caught by Bobby Sharp off de Vincenzo and Spalding followed for 7 in the next over, bowled by Shishir Dhamani.
Two more of Horley’s last four batters fell to Dhamani (3-18), with only Irfaan Baksh reaching double figures. Liton Tarofdar, who had dismissed Horley’s top three, returned to pick up one more wicket and finish with 4-27 for nine overs. Skipper Chris Webber was eight not out.
With a small total to defend, Horley had to be miserly with the ball, but they knew Merstham would also find batting tough on a poor pitch.
Webber set the standard by opening with a maiden before Jaikumar Uvaraju struck Baksh for two fours in the second over. Horley recovered well, with Baksh bowling two consecutive maidens and Webber only conceding two runs from his next two overs, and he then had Jasper Tomlin caught behind by Davie in the seventh over.
Webber struck again in the ninth and the 11th, trapping both Uvaraju and Dhamani lbw and Merstham were on the back foot at 17-3.
Waddington was struck on the shin by a powerful shot and, after struggling on for some time, eventually hobbled off and was replaced in the field by Rob Woodward, who had turned up to watch Horley having been out all season with a broken leg.
Stewart and Spalding continued the Horley offensive, keeping it tight and Stewart was rewarded with the wicket of Ed Loader, bowled in the 18th over.
Manish Patel and Martin Fisher stuck to the task for Merstham and stayed together for the next ten overs, then Cook (1-12) bowled Patel for 29. Two overs later a brilliant piece of play reduced Merstham to 66-6. Fisher edged a Cook delivery high and straight back, just over the bowler’s head. Cook couldn’t quite get back to take the catch but, with the ball in his hands on the ground and the stumps at his mercy, he ran Fisher out instead.
After Baksh (2-15 from nine overs) had Tarofdar well caught by Webber, then bowled Sharp, Merstham were 93-8, still needing four an over from the last eight overs, having been scoring at less than three.
Webber and Stewart returned to the attack and made sure Merstham couldn’t turn the game around. Stewart (2-14 from seven overs) bowled Abdullah Jaura for 12 then, nine balls later, de Vincenzo spooned a catch to Jowett at short mid on off Webber and the hosts were all out for 100. Webber finished with 4-15 from 7.3 overs.
Horley 2nds entertain second-placed Woodmansterne 2nd XI next weekend.
A fine innings of 66 from Ryan Bunn (ten fours, one six) helped Horley 3rd XI to a 24-run win over Lancing Manor in Sussex Division 10 West.
Horley elected to bat and made 200-8 from 40 overs. Bunn top-scored and Khyan Patel made 33, Dan Sired 28 and Danny Patel 23.
Lancing Manor were always behind the run-rate in their reply and although Jamie Funnell made 54, they ended their 40 overs on 176-6. The wickets were shared around with Ryan Smith, Jack James, Danny Patel, Khyan Patel, Sired and Bunn all taking one each.
Horley are third in the table and next Saturday they are away to sixth-placed Findon.